While state legislators duke it out over efforts to regulate breeding, with the specific aim of shutting down puppy mills in states like Wisconsin, Missouri and Illinois, four U.S. Representatives are going after unregulated, large-scale commercial breeding operations on a national level. On February 28, two Democrats and two Republicans introduced H.R. 835, the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act.

The legislation closes a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act that currently allows large, commercial breeders, selling more than 50 puppies per year online or directly to the public to escape licensing and regulation.

“Dog breeders have taken advantage of this Internet loophole to increase their profits at the expense of the health of thousands of dogs,” said Congressman Sam Farr, D-Calif. “The result of breeders’ ability to bypass regulations has led to widespread abuses of dogs that are crammed into small cages with no exercise or social contact. We have a responsibility to close this loophole, because it is simply unconscionable to allow this abuse to continue.”